1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains generally to fibrous cellulose materials and their utilization as low calorie, bulking agents for manufactured foods and pharmaceuticals, and more specifically, to encapsulated fibrous cellulose particulates which have a smooth and pleasant mouth feel and can be incorporated as a low calorie, bulking agent in food compositions and pharmaceutical compositions to produce products of high palatability.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There is a long standing need in the United States and other Western countries for low calorie food products which may be consumed for pleasure or to satisfy one's hunger without contributing significantly to the daily caloric intake. A principal cause of such need has been the increasingly serious and wide-spread problem of obesity within our population, and the many health problems which are caused by or aggravated by obesity. In addition, many other persons, such as the diabetic, the pregnant, and persons suffering from particular conditions such as coronary arteriosclerosis and other conditions which are commonly considered to be partially due to the intake of excessive cholesterol and saturated fat have a need for low calorie foods, both nutritive and non-nutritive.
Recently, an increased amount of attention has been given to the lack of dietary fiber in the diet of people of the Western countries, including the United States. Modern food processing and preparation techniques and consumer tastes have substantially reduced the intake of the natural indigestible fiber or roughage contained in natural foods. Studies of more primitive cultures have observed a correlation between the high natural fiber content of the natural diets of such societies and the almost total absence of a variety of major and minor ailments common to modern Western societies, including constipation and colon cancer, obesity, varicose veins, diverticulosis, and heart disease. See e.g., David Ruben, M.D., the Save-Your-Life Diet, Random House, New York, 1975. Accordingly, the natural indigestible fibers are becoming recognized as an essential component of proper nutrition. The principal natural indigestible fiber contained in natural foods is cellulose.
In the past, efforts have been made to use conventional fibrous cellulose as a bulking agent in low calorie food compositions and in pharmaceuticals. Fibrous cellulose has the advantage, in addition to providing desirable dietary fiber, of providing desired bulk without calories. However, a principal defect of this material has been its objectionable texture. This characteristic has greatly limited the use of fibrous cellulose both in the field of food technology and the field of pharamaceutical preparations. When fibrous cellulose has been mixed according to conventional methods with other food ingredients, the fibrous cellulose is usually very noticeable to the taste, is not smooth, has a fibrous or gritty feel to the tongue and mouth when chewed, and tends to accumulate as an insoluble or residual material in the mouth. As a result, the food compositions themselves have tended to be rendered unpalatable by the addition of fibrous cellulose. Reduction of the fibrous cellulose content of such compositions to the point where it is not detectable when chewed has effectively reduced the proportion of fibrous cellulose to the point where it has no longer been effective as a bulking agent or a source of significant dietary fiber.
Recently, oleaginous fibrous simulated food products have been developed in which finely divided ground fibrous cellulose has comprised a major portion of the products on a dry-weight basis, with much improved palatability. However, when such products are formulated to simulate natural foods which have a smooth, creamy texture or which have a relatively bland flavor, the conventional fibrous cellulose particles are detectable and may be objectionable to some persons. In addition, the oil content of such oleaginous products may provide an undesirable source of substantial calories where a major objective is to provide a low calorie product.
Accordingly, the utilization of fibrous cellulose as a bulking agent and a source of dietary fiber in both foods and pharmaceuticals remains limited and largely unrealized due to the taste and texture characteristics of available fibrous cellulose materials. There thus remains an unsatisfied need for a low calorie bulking agent for food compositions, which is high in dietary fiber and which is smooth and highly palatable when chewed to permit its utilization in substantial amounts in food compositions simulating a substantial variety of natural foods and having a taste and texture which is similar to that of the natural food.